3D Printing Guide, Part 2: Preparing Files for Printing

This is the second in a series of guides to introduce the steps involved in 3d printing. This guide covers preparing an STL or OBJ file for printing using Cura. For the first guide on generating those files, click here.

Note that this guide is for using Cura on the iMac in DevLab, but the same general steps apply if you’re using it on your own computer (which will work as well).

Initial Cura Setup

When you open Cura, you may need to perform initial setup. Select the appropriate 3d printer (“Creality Ender-3 Pro”). The software should default to “Generic PLA” for the filament, or you can select it from the menu. Any other settings are fine to leave at defaults for now.

You should see the window below, which displays those settings and an empty build plate.

Import and Prepare Your Model

In the “File” menu, click “Open File(s)” and navigate to your STL or OBJ file.

Once imported, you can use the controls on the left side to move, scale, or rotate your model.

Before printing, open the print settings by clicking on the down arrow at the rightmost end of the bar at the top.

The main settings you will want to start with are “support” and “adhesion.” Turning on support tells the printer to print additional material underneath overhangs. These are easily removable after the print is complete. Adhesion creates a small “brim” or “raft” (depending on the setting) on the print bed before printing the actual model, which makes it easier for the printer to create models that would not otherwise touch the print bed much. It’s highly recommended that you use both of these options for almost all projects.

Cura defaults to a brim when you enable adhesion, but I’ve had much better luck with rafts than with brims. To change to a raft, click on “Custom” and find the “Build Plate Adhesion” category. Open it with the chevron icon on the right end of the entry, and switch the dropdown that says “Brim” to “Raft” (skirts are not a great option).

Exporting for Printing

Finally, click the blue “slice” button at the bottom to generate a GCODE file, which you will load onto a MicroSD card and insert into the printer. The iMac in DevLab has a MicroSD card reader, and the MicroSD card port on the printer is toward the front left of the machine.

At this point you can proceed to the next step: printing your model!